Of Course I'm Excited
by Wondrously Bookish
Summary: Eleven-year-old Lucy Reynolds is finally attending Hogwarts and couldn't be more thrilled. After being sorted into an unexpected house, she questions who she really is. Rated K-plus for mild language. Few actual HP characters will be used frequently.
1. The Letter

_A/N: Ok revised chapter 1 based on some excellent advice. Enjoy._

 _Tap, tap, tap_ , something went on the outside of Lucy's window. She threw back the curtain to reveal a dark brown owl sitting on the windowsill with an envelope in its beak. Carefully opening the window, Lucy took the letter, gently petting the bird. "I don't have any treats, sorry," Lucy told the owl. I looked at her with its large eyes, seeming to understand. Lucy closed the window as it flew away. Reading the beautiful script on the back, Lucy plopped down on her bed. It read:

 _Ms. L Reynolds_

 _Number Eleven, Flowerwell Road_

 _London, UK_

Lucy gasped. "Mom! My letter!", she cried. Shortly thereafter, loud footsteps could be heard coming up the stairs at a rapid pace. Suddenly, Lucy's bedroom door burst open to reveal a short woman with tousled auburn hair, a grin spread over her face.

"Lemme see!", Lucy's mother exclaimed. She handed over the letter and envelope, the red wax seal already broken. Her mother fumbled with the envelope, just as excited as her daughter.

"I already read it, I get to go to Hogwarts next month!" Lucy laughed as her mother's blue eyes scanned the words scrawled on the parchment. Her mom smiled down at her, but stopped suddenly, shock spreading over her face.

"Next month?! We have to get your supplies! Be ready early tomorrow morning," she said, turning and rushing out of the room. Lucy shook her head with a smile, collected the letter, supply list, and envelope from the floor where her mother had dropped them in her haste and walked to the window once more. She leaned forward, resting her chin on her hands, and reveled in the way that the sky was beginning to turn pink from the sunset already. With a content sigh, she set the letter carefully on her nightstand and changed into her pajamas.

Lucy awoke on August 27th to the sound of birds chirping and her mother calling her from the bottom of the stairs. "Get up Lucy, we need to go before Diagon Alley gets too busy!" Groggily, she sat up, rubbing her eyes. A glance at her alarm clock prompted a groan. _6:00 already?_ , she thought. Lucy had always said that she was a morning person, when, in reality, she wasn't. She stood up and ventured to the small mirror on her desk, settling into her chair. Lucy looked at her face, staring back at her in the mirror. She narrowed her green eyes, glaring at herself, trying to appear serious, but only laughed at the way her scrunched up face looked.

Ouch, she thought as she detangled her shoulder-length wavy brown hair, smoothing it with her other hand after each stroke. With a yawn, she grabbed two gold bobby pins with decorative chain designs on them and secured her hair on the right side. Lucy ran her fingers over her freckled skin, the spots just starting to fade from their darker summer coloring. Satisfied with her appearance, she pushed her chair out and stood up.

Lucy moved to her closet. She stood for a while, hands on her hips, just staring at her shirts, indecisive as usual. Finally settling on a black t-shirt, which read _I Prefer My Puns Intended_ , a red-and-black flannel, and black jeans, Lucy pulled on her black converse and bounded down the stairs, nearly knocking over her mother who was already headed toward the door.

"Hop in the car, Lucy, I forgot my phone," she said, as she went back into the kitchen. Lucy opened the front door and strode to the car, humming lightly. If Lucy's family had to describe her, they would likely refer to her as optimistic and rather stubborn. But, if she was to define herself, just one word came to mind: different. Now, depending on the day, different could be good or bad or a little of both. During her eleven years of life, strange things had happened which could easily be attributed to her magic. However, the Muggle children at Lucy's school only taunted her, especially when something went wrong. Lucy was oblivious to her friends' thoughts of her for one reason and one reason only. Lucy didn't have any friends.

Despite her lack of friends, Lucy still was fairly polite to everyone she met. Although she could be a bit hot-tempered when teased by the other children. _Freak_ , they would jeer, Lucy shooting them a glare and doing her best to walk away. They would chase after her, hurling insults and shouting names. Lucy would finally break and whirl around, charging toward whoever had decided to lead the teasing that day. Usually, she would only yell something about telling a teacher (an action that she would never take), but once she had punched a thirteen-year-old squarely in the face. Even though her mother had to be called to come to the school, Lucy had never felt so satisfied in her life. Of course, she only told her mom that it had been an accident during a game.

Generally speaking, though, Lucy didn't let things get to her too much. Even now, she was happily strolling to the car, humming a tune, slightly off-key. Lucy paused at the car door, closing her eyes and breathing in the fresh morning air. Then, something, or someone, tapped her gently on the shoulder. Lucy turned around to see her mom, gesturing toward the car. "Oh, just you," Lucy sighed in relief. "Let's go." They both slipped into the car and drove off down the quiet street to the bustling place that was Diagon Alley.

 _A/N: Ok, I hope that if you had read the first chapter previous to my revision, you enjoyed the improvements which I tried to make here. Please review, so I know what direction to take in future chapters and feel free to request things through reviews or PM. Have an adequate day. Wondrously Bookish_


	2. Diagon Alley

_A/N: Ok, here's the updated version of chapter 2 (7/25/17). PM me if you have any ideas._

Lucy and her mother parked about a block away from the magically disguised entrance to Diagon Alley. As they stepped into the cool morning, Lucy reveled in the silence. Looking around, she saw that the only other people seemed to be half-awake coffee-slurping zombies. "It should be pretty easy to slip in without being noticed," Lucy remarked.

"I think so," her mother responded. With that, they set off on the short stroll to Diagon Alley. Within just five minutes, they had reached the entrance. Lucy gasped at the stark contrast of the environments. In Muggle London, people were only beginning to get to work, while within Diagon Alley, it seemed that every witch and wizard within a twenty-mile radius was already bustling around. "Ok, what would you like to get first?" Lucy's mother questioned.

"Definitely my wand!" Lucy said excitedly.

"Alright, Ollivander's is down a few shops on the left." her mom said. Lucy walked a few steps ahead of her mom, bursting with joy at the prospect of finally getting a wand. She opened the door to the shop and breathed in the dusty smell of wood and paper. An old man scanning the thousands of boxes shelved inside whirled around to face Lucy, and her mother who had finally reached the store, with a grin.

"Hello! You must be here for your first wand Miss Reynolds!" he guessed.

"How did you know that?" Lucy gasped.

"Well, you look to be about eleven. Oh, and your mother is holding an envelope from Hogwarts addressed to a certain Ms. L Reynolds." Ollivander said.

"Oh, well my first name is Lucy, and yes, I am here for a wand," Lucy affirmed as she studied the boxes. Ollivander strode to the left wall and plucked a box from above his head. Setting it down on the counter, he lifted the lid and presented the wand to Lucy. She looked at it for a moment, studying the slightly curved shape and reddish-brown color. For some reason, however, Lucy could tell that it wouldn't be the right one. Suddenly, a red box among at least a hundred blue ones caught her eye.

"Mr. Ollivander, may I try that one?" she asked, pointing to the box, high on the wall.

"Certainly," the man laughed, using his own wand to retrieve it. "Here you are," he stated, undoing the string which held the box closed. "Ebony and unicorn hair, a very fine mix." Lucy took the wand from the box, turning it over in her hand. It felt...right. "I see we have found the right one. Although, my customers don't normally pick their wands on their own," Ollivander said, giving her a puzzled look. Lucy smiled at the old man, thanking him, and went back outside while her mom paid.

Lucy was standing just outside the door to Ollivander's just watching the witches and wizards of all ages who were milling about in the narrow street. To any Muggle, they would appear to be entirely ordinary people, save for the few more 'eccentric' folks. But, Lucy knew better. Seeing as she didn't have any friends, Lucy had a lot of spare time. One of her favorite activities, even when she was quite young, was to watch the people walking by and try to guess their profession. She had learned many of the defining features of magical people, including distinctly wand-shaped bumps in their clothing. Sometimes, in the way of less cautious wizards, Lucy even saw a seemingly non-magical person pull something rather large from a rather small bag.

Lucy's people-watching (or wizard-watching, really) came to a halt when her eyes settled on a man with black hair and round glasses, exiting the bookshop across the way. _Is that Harry Potter?_ Lucy wondered. She got her answer when she saw the fiery-haired woman who followed behind him with a boy her age. _Ginny Weasley?!_ she thought, screaming internally. But, before Lucy could even process, they had disappeared into the crowd.

Just then, Lucy felt a tap on her shoulder. She jumped in surprise, nearly dropping the red wand box, and whirled around to see her mother giggling about having scared her. "Mom! That wasn't funny!" Lucy exclaimed, near laughter herself. "What's next on the list?" Lucy questioned.

"Uh, looks like all the textbooks," her mom replied, "The bookshop is just over there." She pointed to the store that the Potters had come out of only moments ago. Lucy nodded, taking one last look down the alley-way. When she turned back, her mother was already halfway to the store, quite obviously laughing.

Lucy could have spent hours in the bookshop, just browsing. She loved the feeling of turning page after page, a new surprise waiting each time. And the smell. Oh, the smell! Intoxicating. Lucy took a deep breath in, closing her eyes as she exhaled, savoring the scent of paper and leather. She left her mom to search the shelves of freshly-bound texts for the ones she needed and ventured to the used section. The smell was even stronger here, although slightly different. Lucy touched a finger to a book, walking along the shelf with her eyes closed, dragging her finger across the leather spines. Finally, she paused, her hand stopping on a book which she pulled from the rest. She read the title on the front, tracing each gold letter with a gentle finger. _A Wizard's Guide to Art_. Lucy knew she wouldn't purchase the book, but cherished the feeling of it in her hands anyway. She was two paragraphs in when her mother called her lightly from the back of the shop.

"Lucy, would you come here a minute?"

"Yeah mom, just a sec,' she responded. Lucy looked back down to the book in her hands, shutting it with a tiny puff of dust. Sighing, she returned it to its place and walked to the back where her mother's voice had come from. She stopped suddenly, catching sight of the text that her mom was holding.

Lucy gasped with delight. Rushing to her mother's side, she read the title on its cover. She bit her lip, happiness flooding through her body. There, in her mother's hands was an enchanted copy of _Alice in Wonderland_. The mere thought of the story brought back happy memories from the time when her grandfather had been alive. Lucy felt a wave of sadness come crashing down on her as she thought of the smiling old man who had been her only comfort after a particularly bad day. They would sit by the fireplace, even in the summer out of habit, and he would read. The sound of his voice transporting her into the world of white rabbits and painted roses, and away from the worries of reality. Lucy took it gently from her mother's grasp, opening it to a page which had an illustration of the singing flowers. She watched joyfully as the flowers began to move and their happy tune drifted quietly from the paper.

Lucy could have stood in the shop for years just listening to the flowers' song, but she reluctantly closed the book and turned to face her mom once more. "Can I get it?" But, Lucy need not ask as her mother had seen the pure contentment which had radiated from her daughter just moments ago.

"Of course you can."

The two paid for the books and left the shop, proceeding to collect more of the items on the list. A cauldron, phials, scales, telescope, and gloves. Lucy looked down at her list, each thing checked off as they purchased it. "Ok, now I need to get robes." Lucy's mother nodded and directed her to a shop to their left. They opened the door, a small bell announcing their arrival. A woman likely in her fifties glanced up toward them as they entered.

"Kids section is at the back," she rasped, returning to her newspaper. They walked across the worn floor to the shelves of clothing. Lucy took three pairs of knee socks from one shelf while her mother found robes in her size. Soon, they had everything they needed. Setting the stack onto the counter in front of the raspy woman, Lucy's mother paid and both rushed out the door.

Lucy looked at her list again. Only one thing left: the optional pet. She didn't dare ask for a pet, petrified of sounding greedy, but Lucy didn't need to worry about that. Her mother glanced over. "Do you want a pet?" she asked with a knowing smile.

Lucy's grin broadened. "Yes please," she said. The two turned sharply right into a shop with various creatures displayed outside and in the window. The noise of people rushing around in Diagon Alley was matched by the sound of the animals inside the store. Lucy passed many owls, sleeping on their perches, cats grooming themselves in patches of sunlight, a pen full of frogs and toads, rats, ferrets, and even a small dog, as well as many kinds of strictly magical creatures. Lucy stopped when she saw a pen filled with rabbits.

She petted the rabbits, wishing that they were on the list of acceptable pets, but stopped wishing when she saw the pen next to them. In it was a small black cat, lazily blinking in the sun. She looked at the label and made her choice instantly.

Jinx

Black Cat, Adult

"Mom!" Lucy called. "I want this one." She stroked the cat, making him purr loudly.

"Ok, let me go pay." Lucy picked up the little feline and moved to the counter just as her mother was handing over the money.

"Here," she said, "I got him some food dishes too."

"Thanks, mom," Lucy laughed. They stepped out of the shop, bags and packages in hand and returned to the car.

"Ok, now you're ready. Are you excited?" Lucy's mom asked.

"Of course I'm excited!"

 _A/N: Ok, that's all for now. Please review so I can improve. Have an adequate day. Wondrously Bookish_


	3. Platform Nine and Three Quarters

_A/N: Ok, I really want to get this story moving, so this chapter will cover more in just slightly less detail. Also, I'm going to write a sibling story to this one and the main characters will make cameos in both stories so, to get the full background, read the other story along with this one. Enjoy._

On the afternoon of August 31, Lucy Reynolds could be found sitting on the floor of a very messy bedroom, staring at nothing in particular. "Lucy? What are you doing? You need to finish packing," Lucy's mother said, peeking around the corner.

"Oh, sorry mom. I just got lost in thought, I guess," Lucy said, suddenly startled from her daydreaming. She looked over at her empty black trunk. As soon as they had returned from Diagon Alley four days ago, Lucy had wanted to begin packing for her first year at Hogwarts. To her dismay, she found that her old trunk had a large crack in the lid. So, the following day, her mother had returned to the busy wizard shopping destination to purchase a new one.

Lucy ran her fingers over her initials, painted in shimmering silver on the lid. Then she opened it and on the right side, carefully packed two sets of her robes and pajamas, placing her books on top. Then, on the left, she placed her other supplies, Jinx's dishes, and her wand, still in its red box. On the top, she packed her winter cloak, gloves, hat, several sheets of parchment, quills and ink, and a ballpoint pen (she needed more practice with the quills) followed by her final set of robes for easy access on the train. Satisfied with her trunk, Lucy laid out a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, a sweatshirt, and her converse for the next day and skipped downstairs to watch some tv.

 _Beep, beep, beep, beep_ , Lucy scrunched her eyes shut tighter. _Beep, beep, beep, beep_ , her hand reached up to rub her eyes. _Is it morning already?_ she thought. A look at her alarm clock answered her question. With a stretch and a large yawn, Lucy got out of bed. Dressing quickly, she went to the kitchen for breakfast, only to return to her her room once again to double check the contents of her chest.

Lucy shut the lid again, this time securing the gleaming silver latch with a combination lock. Writing the combination down on a post-it note, Lucy went to find Jinx. "Jinx? Where are you?" she called. She looked under the couches, tables, desks, and even behind the tv, but to no avail. Then she heard it.

Loud purring coming from the kitchen. Lucy tiptoed to the counter, moving around toward the pantry. "Jinx?" She swung the door open and stifled a loud laugh. Jinx had somehow gotten into a box of stale cereal. "What in the world are you doing?" Lucy giggled. Scooping up the little cat, she returned to her room. "Now you stay in here. I have to put you in a crate later," she told him. Jinx only sared at her with his big green eyes.

Lucy shut her bedroom door. And skipped to the bathroom to pack her toiletries. Returning to her room to strap the small bag to the top of her trunk, she glanced at her alarm clock. "Mom," she called, "It's ten-thirty!"

"Ok, we'll leave in a minute," Lucy's mother replied.

"Come on Jinx," Lucy said to her cat, gently pushing him into his crate.

"Mrow," he protested. Lucy only laughed at him. Just then her mother walked in.

"Wingardium Leviosa," she said and, with a wave of her wand, Lucy's trunk began to float. They walked out the door, down the stairs, and to the car, all the while pursued by Lucy's hovering belongings. "Ok, ready?" she asked.

"Yep." Lucy answered.

Soon, they had reached King's Cross Station. "So you're telling me that there's a secret platform here that no muggles know about?" Lucy asked.

"With the exception of a select few, yes," Lucy's mother said.

"How have none of them noticed children walking through a wall?" she questioned.

"That, I do not know," Lucy mother laughed. "Here it is, go ahead," she said pointing to the wall between platforms Nine and Ten.

"This'll be interesting," Lucy remarked. Then, with a deep breath, she ran directly at the wall, squeezing her eyes shut just before her cart touched it. Only seconds later, Lucy reopened her eyes and gasped at her surroundings. She had left the dreary world of stressed, angry muggles and had been suddenly transported to a new world, full of children her age and older and many, many teary-eyed parents.

Lucy looked back to see that her mother had followed her through the wall. "Which car do I get on?" she asked.

"There's a sign over there that says 'First Years,'" her mother responded. They walked to the sign, held by a tall girl in school uniform. She had a Hufflepuff Tie and a pin that read "Head Girl."

"Hi, my name is Carolina, but you can call me Carrie. I'm Head-Girl this year. You must be new!" the girl remarked. "You can get on this car, there should be space still," she said. Lucy smiled at the girl. Her appearance was almost comical as she wore a huge grin and a couple sections of her red hair had fallen into her eyes, not to mention the extreme crookedness of her yellow tie.

"Thanks," Lucy said, before turning to her mother. "Bye mom, see you at Christmas," she said, "and tell dad too." Lucy's father had left for a business trip just one day before Lucy received her letter. In fact, her father was almost always gone on business trips, acting as an ambassador for the Ministry of Magic.

"Bye Lucy, have fun and don't forget to write!" her mom said, wiping at her eyes.

"Oh mom, not you too," Lucy laughed. "Don't be too cliche."

"I'm sorry," Lucy's mother said, "just stay out of trouble and do well."

"I will mom."

With that, Lucy removed her trunk from the cart, Jinx's crate on top, and climbed onto the Hogwarts Express. She walked down the center passageway, peering left and right into the open compartments. Most were full, but many were still nearly empty. She came to one with a girl and two boys in it and stepped in. "Do you mind if I sit here?" she asked.

"Go ahead, we don't own the train," the girl said, frowning. Lucy lifted her trunk to the space above the seat and slumped into it, waving to her mom.

"I'm Lucy," she told the other children.

"Hi, I'm Judas," a boy with blond hair and bright blue eyes grinned. "This is Oscar," he said, a dark-haired boy waved with a slight smile, "and Victoria." Judas pointed to the other girl who merely raised her eyebrows before returning to braiding her quite long pale-blond hair.

"Nice to meet you," Lucy said just as the train lurched forward.

 _A/N: Remember when I said more story with less detail? Yeah, that didn't happen. Sorry. Anyway, please review so I can improve my writing and feel free to make requests or suggest things through reviews or PM. Have an adequate day._ _ **Wondrously Bookish**_


	4. New Friends

_A/N: Ok, here's chapter 4. Opinions of the characters do not necessarily reflect opinions of the author. Please, please, please review. I really need some feedback in order to continue._

"So, do you all know each other?" Lucy questioned.

"Oh, yes," the blond boy said, blue eyes sparkling. "Oscar is my neighbor and Victoria went to the same school as us."

"Don't think I'm your friend. I'm only sitting here because everywhere else was full," Victoria said, glaring at Judas.

"That's not true and you know it," Judas replied. "You just can't admit you enjoy our company." Victoria scoffed at his statement.

"Whatever you say," she said, pulling out a book.

"Sorry about her," Judas said apologetically. "We consider her a friend, but can't say the same the other way around."

"That's alright," Lucy replied.

"So, are you excited, or what?" Judas questioned.

"What kind of question is that?" Lucy laughed. "Of course I'm excited."

"Yeah. What house do you think you'll be in?" Judas asked.

"I'm not sure. I've never really thought about it," she admitted. It was true. Lucy had been excited to attend the magical school ever since she had been told about it, but she hadn't considered which house she might be sorted into. "I think Gryffindor would be a good one. I'm the brave type. Or, at least I think so," Lucy said with a grin.

"Yeah, I'll probably be in Hufflepuff. I doubt I'm smart enough for Ravenclaw, mean enough for Slytherin, and definitely not brave enough for Gryffindor," Judas shrugged.

"I guess we'll just have to wait and see," Lucy told him.

"Hey Oscar, you're awfully quiet. What's up?" Judas asked the dark-haired boy. Oscar had been facing out the window for the extent of their conversation. He turned to face them and both children's' faces dropped with concern.

The fear was evident in his amber eyes. "What's wrong?" Judas asked gently.

"I forgot about sorting," Oscar replied.

"Oh," Judas's expression lifted. Turning to Lucy he explained, "Oscar has a deep fear of being the center of attention. He hates public speaking and that sort of thing."

"Don't worry about it. I think getting up there to have the next seven years of your life decided by a magical talking hat would be pretty frightening," Lucy told him. Oscar's eyes only widened. "Sorry, not helping," she said.

Judas turned to Oscar. "Don't worry," he soothed, "your house doesn't define you, you define your house." At that comment, he seemed to calm down. A knock startled the three from a comfortable silence. Looking up, they saw the snack trolley had come to their compartment. They each bought a few items and sat down to satisfy their hunger.

"I'm pretty sure we're about halfway now," Judas said. "Hey Victoria," he called, "if you aren't put in Slytherin I'm gonna be shocked." Lucy snorted, stifling a laugh while Victoria shot a glare that could kill a bird at Judas. Glancing up, Lucy saw that Judas's head was thrown back in loud laughter and even Oscar was snickering.

"I'm moving compartments," Victoria said, and, snatching up her book, she stomped out the door.

"Mrow," said the crate above Lucy's head as the compartment door slammed.

"Oh, sorry Jinx," Lucy laughed, opening the door of her crate. Jinx leaped from his prison and directly onto a sunny spot on the bench opposite Lucy.

The rest of the train ride passed pleasantly, and, finally, they arrived at Hogwarts. As they disembarked from the Hogwarts Express, many of the First Year students gasped at the enormous castle they saw above them. After the brief journey across the lake, they were escorted to the corridor outside the Great Hall. Lucy smoothed her school skirt nervously. She looked around. Most of the others seemed friendly, she almost laughed out loud when she noticed Judas and Victoria whispering furiously in the back, the latter still glaring at him.

Suddenly, the huge doors opened at the group began to walk forward. Lucy smiled at the older students as they walked between the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor tables. "Welcome to Hogwarts!" a woman said to them as they reached the raised platform at the end of the hall.

"That must be the Headmistress," someone whispered.

"Yeah, McGonagall, is it?" another questioned as the woman continued speaking.

"Now, without further adieu," she said, "let us begin the sorting process."

The group of children was suddenly silent. Then, breaking the quiet, McGonagall began to call the names. "Victoria Noble," she said. Lucy watched as she sat on the stool and the hat was placed on her head.

"Mhmm, yes," it said. "HUFFLEPUFF." The students clapped, but loud cheering erupted from the Hufflepuff table. Lucy saw the look Victoria shot at Judas before she left the stool. One look behind her told her he had seen, his face washed in pure shock, but with a slight smile. More names were called.

Elizabeth Grey, Cole Pepperidge, Evan O'Donnell. Then, "Oscar Knight." The boy walked timidly to the stool and sat down. He looked up as the hat was placed on his head, grimacing the entire time.

"Interesting," the hat stated. "I think that you possess a trait you do not know you have." At this, Oscar tensed visibly, while Judas, who had moved next to Lucy, seemed concerned. "GRYFFINDOR." Oscar's eyes widened, which was surprising considering how large they already were. The Gryffindor table was extremely loud now, everyone near Oscar slapping him on the back. Meanwhile, he looked increasingly terrified. The sorting continued.

Nina Velasquez, Katie Neil, Jackson Quincey. Finally, "Judas Bates," was called. Judas grinned at sat on the stool. Lucy noticed how tall he was compared to the rest of the group, his feet very nearly touching the floor. The hat was placed on his head.

"Aha," it called. "You could probably fit into any of the houses." Judas looked surprised. "However, I will place you in the house which will benefit another most."

"Ok," Judas told the hat.

"Then, GRYFFINDOR IT IS." Judas practically leaped off of the stool and ran to take a seat next to his friend, who was still in shock.

More names were called. Mason Reily, Felicity Blackman, Ryan Bradley. Then she heard it.

"Lucy Reynolds."

 _A/N: Ok, I think that's a good place to leave off. See if you can guess which house I'll put her in. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me and don't forget to review. Have an adequate day._ _ **Wondrously Bookish**_


	5. Sorted

_A/N: Sorry for not updating, I've had some quite awful writer's block. Here is the end to that cliff hanger moment. R &R!_

Lucy stepped carefully up onto the platform, shaking. The old woman held a blank expression, but the light in her eyes was encouraging. She crept toward the stool and took a seat, finally turning to face the other students. She bit her lip, glancing toward Judas and Oscar at the Gryffindor table, Judas' arm around his friend's shoulders. Lucy inhaled sharply as the smell of old fabric and dust hit her, the hat now perched on her brunette locks.

"Aha," it remarked, "Determined, good intentions, reasonably brave, bright-minded; you, Miss Reynolds are quite a conundrum." Lucy puzzled over that comment, wondering how someone could find her so interesting. "Do you have a preference?" the hat asked.

"Well," she said, "I had thought Gryffindor, but now I'm not sure. You see, I don't think that the house matters much."

"Hmm," the hat smirked, "You are very wise, Miss Reynolds. RAVENCLAW." The hat's voice resounded in the great hall, followed by the claps and cheers of the students. Lucy grinned as she made her way to the Ravenclaw table, taking an available seat and shaking the hands of some of the other Ravenclaw students.

Seeing as she was the last name on the list, the Headmistress called for the feast to commence. Lucy, along with the rest of the first years, gasped as the various foods appeared on the table and the goblets filled. All manner of meat, side dishes and desserts adorned the table as though it was a woman, decorated with fine jewelry. To Lucy, nothing had ever smelled so good in her life.

Once the students had had their fill of the fantastic meal, they gathered with their houses to proceed to the dorms. The Ravenclaw prefect began explaining various aspects of the magical school as they made the climb to the Ravenclaw dormitories, but Lucy was hardly listening. She studied the moving paintings, occasionally responding to their joyful "hello"s.

Lucy was so absorbed in the sights, in fact, that she didn't notice when the group came to a halt and she bumped into the dark-haired boy in front of her. He whirled around, shooting her a pointed glare. "Watch where you're going," he whispered sharply. Lucy simply nodded, and tried to focus on the prefect's words, rather than the intricate knocker on the door behind him.

"Rather than have the entrance to our common room hidden by a portrait," the tall boy stated, "Rowena Ravenclaw chose to make our door easy to find, but hard to open." Lucy wondered what that meant, but didn't have to wait long as the boy grasped the beautiful golden knocker and rapped on the door.

The knocker suddenly began to speak. "What always runs, but never walks; often murmurs, but never talks; has a bed, but never sleeps; has a mouth, but never eats?"

"The first riddle of the year is always easy," the prefect laughed. "Any guesses?" The first years looked at each other expectantly, but none of them moved to speak. The prefect looked at the small group, an encouraging smile trying to coax the answer out of the children.

"Ok, I guess I'll have to pick someone," he chuckled. Lucy tried her best to be inconspicuous, despite the fact that this was a common riddle in the muggle world and she knew the answer, and was relieved when the boy in front of her was called on.

"Well, I-uh," the boy stammered, "I don't know." Lucy suddenly had an idea. She tentatively raised her hand, all the while looking at the boy.

"A river?" she guessed.

The prefect turned and repeated her answer to the knocker. With a creak, the door swung open and the group walked inside. As they moved forward, Lucy passed the boy, a satisfied smirk on her face. Most people would probably think she was being petty, but it wasn't _that_ bad. Was it?

 _A/N: Ok, just a short chapter to get the story moving again. Hopefully I won't have too much trouble with the plot in the future. Please review. Have an adequate day._ _ **Wondrously Bookish**_


	6. Eagle Pride?

_A/N: Hey, trying to get back into updating as frequently as possible. Here is the next chapter, hopefully, the description will start to make more sense. If not, let me know, and I will edit the description. R &R!_

The bright moonlight shone through the windows, illuminating the large room and its contents. It was nearly silent, save for the rather calming sound of the wind outside. Lucy sat on the floor of the dormitory, just staring out the window, lost in thought. The other girls with whom Lucy shared a room had fallen asleep soon after they had arrived, leaving Lucy's mind to wander. Absentmindedly she stroked Jinx, but he began to squirm and she let him go. Pulling her knees to her chest, Lucy took a deep breath.

 _How in the world was I sorted into Ravenclaw?_ she wondered. Lucy had never felt that she was very smart, achieving quite average marks in her muggle school. _There's no way I'll fit in. I was sure that I would be put in Gryffindor-like mom._ Lucy yawned, suddenly realising how late it really was. She stretched and rose from the smooth wooden floorboards, sighing. _I'll write to mom tomorrow,_ she told herself, _see what she thinks_. With that thought, she settled onto the comfortable mattress, under the soft sheets, and immediately drifted off to sleep.

Lucy sat in the front row of her potions class, listening to the professor drone on. "Miss Reynolds. Please state one use for dragon blood," he ordered. Lucy's mind went blank.

"I don't know, sir," she frowned. The class erupted with laughter, every student pointing to her. Even the professor chuckled. Lucy lowered her head in shame, wishing that the torturous mocking would end. "I don't know," she whispered to herself.

"50 points from Ravenclaw!" the professor shouted above the laughter.

Lucy sat up abruptly, rubbing her eyes, her heart still racing. She opened her eyes, squinting in the bright light of the sunrise. Looking around the room, she discovered that the other students were still sound asleep. _Ugh, just a dream_ , she thought. She stretched and got out of bed, padding over to the window she had been staring out of last night.

The view was so different in the daylight. In the dark of night, her focus had been drawn to the sky, the millions of stars shining from their places in the heavens beckoning her. But, in the daylight, Lucy's eyes caught the beauty of the Hogwarts grounds. The Forbidden Forest, shrouded with mystery, lined the horizon, with the Herbology gardens covering the foreground. Lucy sighed and was content for a moment. Then she remembered that she had been sorted into Ravenclaw.

Lucy frowned in thought, taking off her pajamas. She went to the chair where her robes had been laid and surveyed her outfit. She began with the skirt, an article of clothing which she was not used to wearing. While in the muggle world, Lucy hardly even owned dresses or skirts, much less wore them. She had been lucky not to have to attend a school which required a uniform. Lucy had minor difficulty with the skirt's side zipper, but eventually managed to get it up. Next was the shirt, a white, stiff-collared button-down which she had no trouble with, and her robes. After she pulled up her knee socks and put on her shoes, she looked in the mirror. _My tie!_

She looked to the chair. There sat the blue and bronze striped tie. Once Lucy put it on, she was an official member of Ravenclaw house. She sighed and picked it up, holding it up to her neck to see what it would look like. Finally, she resolved to put it on. There was one slight problem, however. Lucy had no idea how to tie a tie.

For ten minutes, she fumbled with the accessory, before finally giving up. Lucy collected her school books, placing them in her bag, and went down to the common room. She took a seat at a table by one of the large windows, gazing out at the beautiful morning. Taking out a sheet of parchment and a quill, she began to write a letter to her mother.

 _Dear mom,_

 _I'm in Ravenclaw! I'm not entirely sure why. I had always thought that I would be in Gryffindor too. By the way, I don't know how to tie a tie... Anyway, the views from the dormitory are amazing and Jinx seems to like roaming around the huge castle._

 _Well, I just thought I would let you know which house I'm in. See you at Christmas!_

 _Love,_

 _Lucy_

Satisfied with her letter, Lucy folded it and stuck it in her bag so that she could send it later. She pulled out her tie once again and continued her efforts to tie it. "Stupid tie," she mumbled.

"Having a hard time there, genius?" a voice questioned from the other side of the common room. Lucy turned to see the dark-haired boy who had been in front of her last night, emerging from the boy's staircase, a smirk on his lips. Lucy glanced down to his perfectly tied tie. She almost said yes, but then she remembered the night before.

"None of your business," she told him, turning to face the window again. She heard him chuckle. "What are you doing up so early anyway?" she inquired.

"I could ask you the same question," he replied. Lucy shook her head, sighing. _Maybe he could show me how to do this_ , she thought. She pivoted to face the boy again. "Do you need help?" he asked, the same condescending smirk on his face.

"No, thank you," she responded, "I happen to enjoy leaving it untied." Lucy made a point of draping the tie around her neck, before pulling a book from her bag and pretending to read. However, the boy didn't go away. He only remained standing there, just a few feet away, his smirk growing. "Can I help you?" she asked.

"Oh, no," he laughed, "I just thought you might like to know that your book is upside down." Lucy looked down to see that he was right and felt her ears grow hot as she turned it the right way.

"Anything else?" she asked. "Good," she said when he didn't reply. Just then, she heard scuffling above them. _Finally_ , she thought, collecting her things and exiting the common room. She was alone with her thoughts once again. Lucy walked through the silent corridors, admiring the various paintings and views from different windows. As she passed the library, she paused to look at the wonderful shelves, filled with books. Then she saw a flash of red among the stacks. Lucy walked into the library, turning the corner to see who it was.

"Hello!" the person said. Lucy recognized the Hufflepuff girl from the platform.

"Hi. Carrie, right?" she asked.

"Yep," she affirmed, "Did you need something?"

Lucy was about to ask for help with her tie when she saw Carolina wasn't even wearing hers. "Why don't you have a tie?" Lucy asked.

"Well, I'm actually awful at tying them and I normally use magic, but it doesn't work very well," Carrie said. "I was going to ask my boyfriend to teach me later."

"Oh, ok," Lucy responded. _Well, there goes that idea._ "I'm gonna go to breakfast now, see ya," Lucy told the girl, earning a nod. With that, she exited the library, unsure of what to do.

Lucy was walking with her head down, deep in thought, enjoying the sound of her shoes clicking on the stone floors. Then she ran smack into someone. For a moment, she just sat on the ground, eyes closed, rubbing her head where it had collided with another. She opened her eyes to see a Gryffindor tie, then a pair of blue eyes.

"Gosh, Lucy," Judas exclaimed. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied. "Sorry for running into you, I wasn't paying attention."

"It's fine. I was nearly running."

"At least I'm not the only first year up so early. Where's Oscar?" she asked, looking over Judas's shoulder.

"He isn't up yet. I think he stayed up pretty late last night," Judas said, "He was quite shocked."

"Oh," Lucy responded. "We should probably get up." Judas laughed in agreement, collecting the scattered books. Walking over to a bench, they sat down and re-sorted the texts. Judas snickered suddenly, causing Lucy to look up.

"Why is your tie on the floor?" he asked. Lucy looked to where they had fallen.

"Oh," she started. "I just haven't tied it yet. I think I'll wait until after breakfast," she told Judas, unwilling to admit that she didn't know how to tie it. Lucy retrieved the tie and shoved it into her bag, along with her stack of books.

"Well," Judas said, "I'm starving, let's go." The two stood up and made their way to the great hall.

 _A/N: Ok, a new character, an issue for the main character, things are moving along! Hopefully those of you who have read thus far are enjoying it. I really need review so I have some feedback. I know you might think that someone else will, but the reality is that every review counts, so please don't hesitate! I will do my best to shout-out reviewers in the next chapter. Have an adequate day._ _ **Wondrously Bookish**_


	7. A Lesson

_A/N: Ok, chapter 7! Don't forget to review, I've only gotten one, so I'm not sure what people think so far. Anyway, enjoy._

Lucy and Judas entered the great hall to find a few bleary-eyed students sitting at the tables. They quietly munched on toast, not even acknowledging the newcomers' presence. "Too bad we're in different houses, or we could eat together," Lucy sighed.

"Yeah," Judas responded, "I guess I'll see you in class." Judas walked toward the Gryffindor table, while Lucy went in the opposite direction to the Ravenclaw table. She sat down, mumbling a "hi" to the half-awake student across from her. She had just started buttering a slice of toast when someone sat down next to her. Lucy looked over to see the dark-haired boy once again, wearing the same stupid smirk. Lucy rolled her eyes, and turned to face him.

"Hey genius," he said, "Where'd your tie go?" Lucy crossed her arms.

"For your information," she began, "it is in my bag."

"Ok," the boy said, "but why isn't it around your neck?"

"If you really must know, I don't know how to tie a tie," Lucy told him proudly. "And I don't want to hear anything about it from you."

"I knew it!" he cried, a little too loudly. "I can show you how, if you like. You don't want to get in trouble for not wearing it," the boy offered, still sneering.

"Fine," Lucy said, "but only because I don't want to get in trouble."

"Whatever you say, genius. Just meet me outside the great hall after breakfast."

"Fine."

"Fine." Both children turned back to their breakfasts, Lucy scowling slightly, and the dark-haired boy's smirk a little bigger. Lucy watched more and more students come in for breakfast, eventually spotting Oscar, who appeared tired, despite his pristine uniform. She also spotted Carrie, along with a brunet boy (presumably her boyfriend), sporting a perfectly knotted tie. Victoria came in, nodding to Judas, who kept glancing at her every now and then. Lucy squinted at him, wondering why, while finishing her last piece of toast.

Lucy sat for a moment, contemplating whether spending time with that boy was worth learning to tie her tie, but came to the conclusion that maybe he would leave her alone if she did. Gathering her things, she left the hall to wait. Soon, the boy came through the doors. "Follow me," he said, walking around the corner. Lucy trailed after him, sitting next to him on a bench. She pulled her tie from her bag, while he undid his.

"Ok," the boy began, "so put it around your neck and make the bigger side a little longer." Lucy did as he said and looked back to his hands. For twenty minutes, the two sat on the bench tying knots over and over. Finally, the boy turned to Lucy. "Now you do it on your own."

Lucy repeated the process they had practised and was satisfied with the knot she produced. She looked up to see the boy smirking again. "Nice job. See you around, genius." Lucy frowned at him, shaking her head. She rose from the bench and walked back toward the great hall, rejoining Judas and Oscar.

 _A/N: Yay micro-chapters! To be fair, the last chapter is the longest one in the fic. Anyway, please review. Have an adequate day._ _ **Wondrously Bookish**_


	8. Forgetful

_A/N: Alright, I'm back. My life has been crazy over the past few months, but that's another story. Here's a new chapter! Don't forget to R &R. _

The week passed by quickly as the students settled into the term. Lucy and her roommates, with some assistance from the house elves, had arranged their dorm to provide maximum comfort for each girl. Lucy was by the window closest to the door, as she was always up first and so could leave the room quietly, but was still able to look out the window and daydream.

Another girl named Samantha was to her left, under two shelves where she could keep her ridiculous amount of spare school supplies. This continued all the way around the room, ending with a blonde girl named Paige opposite from Lucy. In all, the room housed eight girls comfortably, with the capacity for an extra bed if need be.

Lucy's area was not the neatest, but not the messiest either. She knew exactly where all of her things were, even though they were scattered about. Organized chaos, as she liked to call it. Her bed, like all of the others, had soft, light blue sheets and a folded royal blue blanket at its foot. Next to her bed, on the right sat a desk with parchment and quills haphazardly stacked on one end and textbooks piled on the other, completely covering its surface. A Ravenclaw pennant was pinned above the desk and Lucy's bookbag was hung on the back of her chair. On the left side of the bed sat the short wardrobe which contained all of her clothing and any infrequently-used supplies.

Usually, Lucy was awake long before any of her roommates, but, on only her ninth day of school, she woke up to the commotion of the girls rushing to get ready for the day. Lucy realized how late she had slept in when two of her classmates left the room for breakfast. She sprung out of bed, throwing her wardrobe open. She quickly took a slightly rumpled skirt from its floor and pulled a shirt from a hanger, rapidly tugging both on and almost falling over in the process. Turning to her clothing again, she yanked a jumper over her head and slipped on her robes while simultaneously searching for just one more knee sock. After a few minutes of frantic searching, she was able to put her shoes on (converse because although she adhered to the rules, she liked to bend them a bit). She grabbed her bag from her chair, thankful that she had decided to pack it the night before and ran out the door, leaving just two of the eight first-year Ravenclaw girls in the room.

Lucy ran through the corridors, her bag bouncing against her hip and her tie fluttering behind her, only one end in her tight fist. She burst into the great hall, luckily unnoticed by most of the students. Judas was looking anxiously around the room, his expression relaxing when he saw Lucy walking toward her table. She gave him a small wave and a grin before sitting down and grabbing a piece of toast. Lucy sighed in relief that she hadn't missed the morning meal. Then she looked up and saw a smirk across the way.

The dark-haired boy continued to smirk until she finally had had enough. "What?" she questioned, her expression turning to a frown.

"Slept in this morning, genius?" he asked her, still smirking.

"Maybe," she replied. "But it doesn't matter, seeing as I still made it to breakfast."

"Yep," he said, "I'm sure you were just up late with all the ideas that must be in that head of yours." The boy took a final bite from the bowl of oatmeal in front of him and looked back up to see Lucy staring at him. "What?" he asked, raising one eyebrow.

"In all of the times that we've spoken," she said, "we still don't know each others' names."

"You're right," he replied. Lucy looked at him expectantly. His grey-blue eyes sparkled mischievously. "I guess you'll have to wonder!" he exclaimed before shooting up and nearly sprinting out of the great hall. Lucy rolled her eyes and returned to her breakfast, noticing that, once again, Judas was staring at Victoria. She looked back to her toast, catching a glimpse of her chest.

 _My tie!_ she thought, realizing that she had left it in her room. Just then, most of the students began to stand up and file out of the great hall to their first class. Lucy knew that there was no way she could make it to her room in time to get the accessory and be in class on time. She frantically looked around before resorting to digging in her book bag for anything that might be of use. Of course, she was having no luck when she was startled by someone talking to her.

"Genius? Hello?" the dark-haired boy questioned. Lucy had not even noticed his approach in her panicked state.

"What do you want?" she sighed, continuing to search her bag.

"Maybe if you looked up, you would see," he said. She lifted her head to see a blue and bronze tie with her initials stitched along one edge folded neatly in his hand. He was still smirking. Lucy's jaw dropped in astonishment. She looked at him, questions written all over her face. "Put it on and I'll tell you on the way to class," he said. "We don't have much time."

Lucy knotted the tie around her neck, tucking it underneath her jumper. She slung her bag over her shoulder and the two walked out of the nearly empty hall. The boy led her down a smaller corridor, claiming it was a "shortcut." Soon, they had almost reached their class.

"So," Lucy started, "how did you get my tie Mr. no-name?"

"Well," he said, "I was in the common room getting my potions book and this girl came up to me with your tie. Katie, I think her name was." Lucy chuckled to herself. Katie was definitely the mom of the girls in her room. She was always reminding them of important things and making sure that they didn't stay up too late. "She said that she had seen us talking at breakfast before and thought maybe I would know where to find you to give it to you. Apparently, you left it on the floor," he said, shooting her a mock-disappointed look.

"Oh," Lucy laughed. "Thanks for bringing it to me."

"Any time genius. Anytime."

 _A/N: Yay longer chapters! Feels good to be back. Let me know what you think so far through a review or PM. Have an adequate day._ _ **Wondrously Bookish**_


End file.
